The James River in Virginia is filled with toxic chemicals. So much so that experts say it could take decades to clean it up.
The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality hosted a public meeting about the PCB-filled river, where residents complain that “the state needs to do a better job of communicating the dangers of the PCBs.”

DEQ environmental scientist Mark Richards is in charge of a new study looking into ways to reduce PCBs in the river, but the study itself “could take about three years.” And that’s before anyone can even begin to remove any existing pollutants, much less stop old industrial sites from continuing to leak pollutants into the river.

It’s sad, because officials such as the James River Park manager Ralph White admits he’s not even “surprised to hear that Virginians might have to wait decades for the James to cover up PCBs naturally.”